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We had Maaco spray a rallyX car we built about a decade ago. The paint came out looking great but it did chip off fairly easily (of course it was a rallyX car, so that is a factor...). We did all the body work and prep and just had them do the spraying. I forget the exact cost but we were very happy with the result.

If I was going to do this again (which I likely will at some point) I definitely won't go to Maaco but instead try to find a local, independent, shop who is willing to work with me, pay attention to detail and let me bring them a stripped down car so all they need to do is body work and spray the paint. I used this basic concept when I had my engine bay painted and it worked out pretty well. I think if you went about it that way you could definitely get a great paint job for a good price. Also, not sure what your area is like but around here there are a TON of "ghetto" body shops and the like that I'm sure could do a good job if you were willing to take the risk and if they were willing to work with you step by step. Most of these places do super super cheap work on beat up cars so if you gave them the opportunity to make big bucks they might jump on it (a lot of these guys have better skills than their shop may lead you to believe). I always want to do this with stuff I don't want to deal with myself, but it never really works out since I can't speak spanish. I always feel like I'm the white guy walking in there not knowing what's going on and if I can't connect with the person then I can't trust that it'll be done right. If I wasn't just some gringo walking in there I'm sure I could find a place that'd work. It's always also a good idea to ask around and see what your friends have to say about people they've worked with and see if anyone has a paint/body guy they can recommend.

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The self prep may be an option anywhere I suppose, but I don't think that are any "cheap" body shops in this area. A few places that do nice restoration work, but at prices that make little sense on this type of car.

"attention to detail" translates to more shop time (as it should, chuckle), and there is always more money to be made on collision repair than anything else in a body shop. I think that is really the issue here. Most body work that pays well is insurance work.

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Thanks guys for all your help, so decided after looking at countless pictures. Going with black side moldings and color matched door handles and mirrors. Here's how she's sitting for the next few days, antenna is off and so are the turn signals. I was lucky enough to be able to get the rain gutter covers off without breaking any one of the clips. Last thing I need to do is take the axle back off. Once I get her back I'll be putting her back together and installing a new interior carpet. Scored it at the junk yard, just needed a good cleaning. [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]